The Ultimate Book Hugger's Guide, Page 3

  THE EASTERN KINGDOM

  Of all the kingdoms in the Land of Stories, the Eastern Kingdom has had the rockiest history. During the Dragon Age, the kingdom was covered in volcanoes and dragon nests. Centuries later, the Enchantress cursed the kingdom to sleep for a hundred years and covered it with her enchanted vines and thornbush. Once Queen Sleeping Beauty was awoken by Prince Chase Charming’s kiss, she worked tirelessly to restore the kingdom to its former glory.

  THE CORNER KINGDOM

  The Corner Kingdom is a very quiet country ruled by Queen Rapunzel and her husband, Sir William. The land was once the property of a horrible witch who locked Rapunzel in a tower when she was just a girl. After the witch died, Rapunzel inherited the land and founded a kingdom for all the villages in the area.

  THE ELF EMPIRE

  The Elf Empire exists in the northwest corner of the Land of Stories. The entire population lives in homes scattered throughout the branches of an enormous tree. In the event that their home is threatened, the elves retreat to a hidden chamber located in the tree’s roots. Although they were excluded from the Happily Ever After Assembly, Alex makes sure to include the elves and Empress Elvina when she forms the Happily Forever After Assembly.

  THE TROBLIN KINGDOM

  Many years ago, all the trolls and goblins throughout the kingdoms were banished to an underground territory for their crimes against humans and fairies. To unite the different species, the Troll and Goblin Territory was renamed the Troblin Kingdom when Queen Trollbella obtained the throne. During the Enchantress’s reign of terror, the kingdom was flooded when Ezmia destroyed a dam protecting it from a strong river. The Troblins rebuilt their kingdom on floating platforms, and it became known as the Great Troblin Lake.

  THE FAIRY KINGDOM

  The Fairy Kingdom is the most beautiful and majestic of all the countries in the Land of Stories. It’s covered in fantastical gardens and has breathtaking views of Mermaid Bay. The kingdom is home to several magical creatures, including herds of unicorns and flocks of pixies. The headquarters of the Happily Forever After Assembly is located in the Fairy Kingdom inside the golden Fairy Palace.

  MERMAID BAY

  Mermaid Bay is the home of the merpeople. It’s a vast underwater kingdom that consists of colorful coral gardens, shipwrecks, and sunken palaces. Mermaid Bay’s most famous resident was the Little Mermaid. After her death, the Little Mermaid became the Sea Foam Spirit, who watches over the merpeople and the ocean like a guardian angel.

  THE CASTLE IN THE SKY

  The Castle in the Sky is an enormous structure that sits in the clouds above the Center Kingdom. It was once the home of a terrifying giant, until he fell to his death chasing Jack down a magic beanstalk. To many people’s surprise, the castle is still inhabited by the giant’s enormous cat, whom Mother Goose named George Clooney.

  WORLDS BEYOND the KINGDOMS

  OZ

  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written by L. Frank Baum and originally published in 1900. The Bailey twins and their friends travel to Oz using the Portal Potion to stop the Masked Man from recruiting the Wicked Witch of the West for his Literary Army. As they travel down the yellow brick road, they make friends with the Tin Woodman and Blubo the flying monkey while narrowly avoiding getting eaten by a pack of Kalidahs.

  NEVERLAND

  Neverland is a magical island floating in outer space in James M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan. It’s home to pirates, mermaids, Native Americans, and a group of age-defying children. While the Masked Man recruits the dreadful Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger for his Literary Army, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys join the Bailey twins on their quest to save the fairy-tale world.

  WONDERLAND

  Wonderland is a world of mushroom forests, hookah-smoking caterpillars, and tardy white rabbits. The Bailey twins and their friends follow the Masked Man into Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to stop him from recruiting the Queen of Hearts and her card soldiers for his Literary Army. Unfortunately, they aren’t successful, and the Masked Man splits the twins and their friends into different literary dimensions.

  CAMELOT

  Camelot is the home of the legendary tale of King Arthur and Merlin. When Mother Goose and Alex arrive, Arthur is very young and Merlin is training him to become the future king of England. He and Merlin assist Alex and Mother Goose as they search for a way back into the Land of Stories. The more time that Alex and Mother Goose spend in the mythical story, the closer they become to the wizard and his squire, and leaving Camelot becomes much harder than either of them expected.

  SHERWOOD FOREST

  The Sherwood Forest is just outside Nottingham, England, and is home to the infamous outlaw Robin Hood. After befriending the thief and his gang of Merry Men, Conner and his friends must create their own batch of Portal Potion and defeat the menacing Sheriff of Nottingham before they can make it back to the Land of Stories.

  CONNER’S SHORT STORIES

  STARBOARDIA

  “Starboardia” is a swashbuckling pirate adventure set in the high seas of the Caribbean. We follow Captain Auburn Sally and her all-female crew of the Dolly Llama as Admiral Jacobsen of the British Navy chases them across the ocean. Eventually the captain and the admiral must team up to stop a horrible gang of pirates led by the terrifying Smoky-Sails Sam. Greatly outnumbered, the captain and the admiral take their crews to the ancient island of Starboardia and use a complex structure to defeat the pirate once and for all.

  GALAXY QUEEN

  “Galaxy Queen” is an intergalactic space odyssey. With the help of Commander Newters and her cyborg army, the Cyborg Queen travels the universe and collects habitable planets for her home solar system. In exchange for the cyborgs’ help to defeat their uncle, the Bailey twins strike a deal with the Cyborg Queen to exterminate a species of alien insects on a planet she has her eye on. The twins travel to Lollipopigust and exterminate the grotesque polycrabs—but the pests are a much bigger problem than they imagined.

  THE ZIBLINGS

  The Ziblings are a family of superheroes who live in the metropolis of Big City, USA. After an asteroid carrying cosmic radiation hits an unlucky orphanage, four children are left with remarkable superhuman abilities. Blaze has the power to control fire, Whipney can manipulate her hair, Morph can transform into anything his heart desires, and, although it takes him longer to master his gifts, Bolt has the power to fly and manifest lightning. A genius named Professor Wallet adopts the children and raises them to become a dynamic crime-fighting team.

  THE ADVENTURES OF BLIMP BOY

  “The Adventures of Blimp Boy” chronicles the archaeological voyages of Beau Rogers and his aunt Emgee as they travel the world in an enormous blimp. Set in the exploration days of the early twentieth century, the story follows Beau and Emgee as they obtain precious relics in the temples of India, the pyramids of Egypt, and beyond. However, preserving history comes at a high cost. Beau faces ferocious animals, primeval booby traps, and ancient curses as he collects the artifacts.

  CEMETERY OF THE UNDEAD

  “Cemetery of the Undead” is a short story written by Bree Campbell. The macabre tale is about a gravesite with tombs of the women Bree felt were wronged throughout history. But unlike other cemeteries, at the stroke of midnight all the corpses briefly come back to life! Historical figures like Marie-Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, and Joan of Arc creep out of their crypts and seek their revenge on unsuspecting visitors.

  TRINKETS, TREASURES, and ENCHANTMENTS

  THE WISHING SPELL

  The Wishing Spell is a legendary enchantment that grants someone a wish after a series of irreplaceable and invaluable items are collected. The items include Cinderella’s glass slipper, Sleeping Beauty’s spindle, jewels from Snow White’s coffin, a lock of Rapunzel’s hair, the Sea Witch’s saber, the Troll and Goblin Kings’ shared crown, the tears of a fairy, and a piece of Red Riding Hood’s basket. During their first visit to the fairy-tale world, Alex and Conner collect the Wis
hing Spell items hoping to wish for a way home. Unfortunately, the Evil Queen beats them to it.

  These were the clues to the ingredients that Alex and Conner had to find:

  GLASS THAT HOUSED A LONELY SOUL UP ’TIL MIDNIGHT’S FINAL TOLL.

  A SABER FROM THE DEEPEST SEA, MEANT FOR A GROOM’S MORTALITY.

  THE BARK OF A BASKET HELD IN FRIGHT WHILE RUNNING FROM A BARK WITH BITE.

  A STONY CROWN THAT’S MADE TO SHARE, FOUND DEEP WITHIN A SAVAGE LAIR.

  A NEEDLE THAT PIERCED THE LOVELY SKIN OF A PRINCESS WITH BEAUTY FOUND WITHIN.

  A WAVY LOCK OF GOLDEN ROPE THAT ONCE WAS FREEDOM’S ONLY HOPE.

  GLITTERING JEWELS WHOSE VALUE INCREASED AFTER PRESERVING THE FALSE DECEASED.

  TEARDROPS OF A MAIDEN FAIRY FEELING NEITHER MAGICAL NOR MERRY.

  THE WAND OF WONDERMENT

  The Wand of Wonderment is the most powerful magic wand in the history of the fairy-tale world and grants invincibility to whoever is holding it. The wand was constructed from the most prized possessions of the six most hated people in the kingdoms. In order to stop the evil Enchantress, the Bailey twins and their friends travel through the Land of Stories collecting the Snow Queen’s icicle scepter, the Sea Witch’s black pearl necklace, the Wicked Stepmother’s wedding ring, the giant’s golden harp, shards of the Evil Queen’s Magic Mirror, and, most difficult to obtain: the pride from the Enchantress herself.

  MAGIC MIRRORS

  Imprisoning someone inside a magic mirror takes extremely powerful magic, and it’s also one of the cruelest acts. People who find themselves in the mirror dimension have the power to appear in any mirror in the world, but the ability comes at a great cost. The longer someone is trapped inside a magic mirror, the more memories and sense of self they lose. Soon the prisoners fade into nothing but the reflections of the world around them.

  MIRRORS OF TRUTH

  A Mirror of Truth does not show a physical reflection, but the reflection of who someone is on the inside. The most beautiful women in the world would see a hideous monster staring back at them if they had a wicked spirit. The most powerful men would see a spoiled little boy if they didn’t rule justly. During their trip to the fairy-tale world, Alex and Conner first learn they have magic in their blood from a Mirror of Truth.

  THE PORTAL AT NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE

  In the early 1800s, the Grande Armée forced the Brothers Grimm and Mother Goose to take them into the fairy-tale world. Mother Goose bewitched a portal in Bavaria to trap the soldiers for more than two hundred years. She then asked her friend King Ludwig II to build a fairy-tale-like castle around the portal to trick the Grande Armée into thinking they had traveled to the fairy-tale world in case they ever resurfaced. To this day, a portal to the Land of Stories exists inside the music hall of Neuschwanstein Castle and can be activated if the right melody is played on a magic panpipe.

  THE SOUTH BANK LION

  During the mid-1800s, Mother Goose had a difficult time making friends when she visited England. So the senior spitfire magically brought a lion statue on top of her favorite brewery company to life. During her routine visits over the centuries, Mother Goose confessed all of her secrets to the lion, giving him the concerned expression he wears today. The South Bank Lion statue can be found in central London down the street from Big Ben, but it’s recommended not to mention Mother Goose while you’re in his presence—the poor thing has been traumatized enough.

  MOTHER GOOSE’S VAULT

  Deep underground beneath the Lumière des Etoiles casino in Monte Carlo is a secret storage facility. The facility is hundreds of years old and home to thousands of vaults leased by some of the most mysterious people on earth. Mother Goose keeps all the mementos she’s collected throughout her years of visiting the Otherworld in vault 317. George Washington’s dentures, a map to Atlantis, the Holy Grail, and Amelia Earhart’s forwarding address are some of the many objects she keeps safely out of public view.

  THE HALL OF DREAMS

  The Hall of Dreams is a magical chamber inside the Fairy Palace. It’s an infinite space containing millions of bubbles that represent people’s hopes and dreams. By looking into a bubble, the Fairy Godmother can see someone’s greatest desire and help them achieve it. Unfortunately, after the Grande Armée attacks the fairy-tale world, people’s spirits drastically sink and the majority of the bubbles disappear. Alex and Conner make it their mission to restore the Hall of Dreams by restoring people’s faith.

  DRAGON EGGS

  In order for a dragon to hatch, the egg must be submerged in extremely hot temperatures, which is why many mothers made their nests inside volcanoes during the Dragon Age. Once the egg hatches, the infant’s growth depends on the amount it feeds. The more it eats, the faster it grows. A dragon forms a bond with whatever oversees its hatching and feeding, most commonly its mother, but humans have been known to raise and train dragons, too.

  THE PORTAL POTION

  The Portal Potion is a magical serum that creates a portal into the world of any written work it touches. The ingredients include a lock and key from a loved one, a feather from the finest pheasant, a branch from the tallest tree, a considerable amount of moonlight, and a touch of magic. Alex and Conner are forced to make their own concoctions when the Masked Man splits them up in the worlds of Camelot and the Sherwood Forest.

  THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WORLDS

  For thousands of years, the Otherworld and the Land of Stories have been spinning around the sun in different dimensions. Since the Otherworld moves much faster than the fairy-tale world, the two collide every so often, momentarily opening a gateway between them. As the Sisters Grimm follow the coordinates and the timing of the collisions, they make a startling discovery—the worlds are set to collide and connect indefinitely! Unfortunately, it gives the witches and the Literary Army a chance to enter the Otherworld and conquer it. Alex and Conner eventually condense the bridge into a book, The Land of Stories: Volume Two, which they put into the trusting hands of President Katherine Walker.

  BONUS CHAPTERS

  CONSPIRACIST CONTAGION

  Mrs. Peters was starting to regret accepting her recent promotion to high school principal. It was half past noon, and the veteran educator was already having an impossibly difficult day. She was in the middle of a call with a very unhappy custodian, and she was glad they were speaking by phone so he couldn’t see her agitated expression.

  “I understand the horse made a huge mess in the student parking lot,” Mrs. Peters said. “Ms. Miller’s car broke down this morning and the horse was the only feasible way she could get to school on time. I will ask her to help you clean it up after school, but I don’t think it’s fair to punish a student after going to such extremes to keep her perfect attendance.”

  Her receptionist knocked on her door and peeked into her office.

  “Mrs. Peters, there’s a group of young women here who would like to speak to you,” she said.

  “Please tell them I’m on the phone,” Mrs. Peters said.

  The receptionist’s eyes grew large, and the principal could sense a hint of fear behind them. “I tried,” she said. “But they’re being very persistent.”

  Suddenly, Mindy pushed the receptionist out of her way and barged into the office. Cindy, Lindy, and Wendy quickly filed in behind her. It was a freshman ambush.

  “We have waited long enough!” Mindy said with a raised voice. “It’s time someone around here gave us some answers, and we’re not leaving until we get them!”

  Her face was flushed and she paced around the office in a temper.

  Mrs. Peters sighed. “Stan, I’m going to have to call you back,” she told the custodian, and hung up the phone. “Girls, have a seat.”

  Mindy sat in the chair across from the desk and the other girls stood around her like bodyguards. All four of them crossed their arms and glared at the principal.

  “What can I help you with, ladies?” she asked. “Is everything all right with the Reading Club? Wait, forgive me, I
meant the Book Hugging Club.”

  “We’re not the Book Huggers anymore,” Cindy said.

  “We’re the Conspiracy Club now,” Lindy said.

  “You would have known that if someone passed along our e-mail like she said she would,” Mindy said, and shot the receptionist a dirty look.

  The receptionist slowly tiptoed out of the room, leaving Mrs. Peters alone with the aggressive girls.

  “I didn’t realize you four were interested in conspiracies,” Mrs. Peters said.

  Mindy squinted intensely. “We are now,” she said. “And we think you know why.”